Tarver Returns with Decision Win

Light heavyweight Antonio Tarver (25-4) gave an inconsistent performance but it was enough to earn a majority decision over a determined Elvir Muriqi (34-4). Tarver, last seen as Sylvester Stallone's opponent in "Rocky Balboa", had been out-of-action since being dominated by Bernard Hopkins a year ago. Muriqi was often the aggressor and did some good body work but Tarver, 38, used an effective jab and landed the cleaner head shots. An accidental head butt in round five opened a cut over Muriqi's right eye that bothered him at times the rest of the way.

Tarver did enough to win this fight but - as is his tendency - he only fought in spurts ... and it nearly cost him. Judge Steve Weisfeld scored the fight a 114-114 draw but he was correctly overruled by scorecards reading 116-112 and 115-113 for Tarver.

In the co-feature, Chad Dawson, 24, successfully defended his WBC light heavyweight title for the first time with a sixth round stoppage of Jesus Ruiz (19-5). Dawson (24-0) was too fast and too talented for the overmatched Ruiz, who - without a win over an opponent with a winning record in nearly four years - had no business being in a title fight.

The win by Dawson sets him up for a bigger money opponent - such as Tarver, Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr. or Glen Johnson - in his next defense.